Rafael Nadal wins charitable poker game against Ronaldo

Poker tournaments are by definition events where players chase profit above anything else, but there are notable exceptions to the rule. Rafael Nadal took on Ronaldo in a friendly game of poker, that was played for charitable purposes and the tennis player emerge victorious. The competition was held in London at the Hippodrome Casino, hosted by PokerStars, with all the money collected to be donated.

Most poker players are participating in live tournaments right now, as live action subsided, but there are some events in the United Kingdom that keep them on their toes, such as the Nottingham WPT. There was no shortage of visitors at the Hippodrome, anxious to see some of the best athletes competing in a game of poker. Rafael Nadal is widely regarded as one of the best tennis players on clay and Ronaldo made history on the football pitch, with both of them now playing poker.

Unlike conventional tournaments, where players compete against thousands of peers and action takes many days in a row, this event lasted exactly 20 minutes. It was enough for a winner to be decided, since the player who accumulated more chips over the span was declared victorious. Rafael prevailed and for his accomplishment he collected $50,000, but he won keep a dime for himself and instead donate it all to the Rafa Nadal Foundation.

This charitable organization was created seven years ago and it is aimed to help socially discriminated children. Nadal was playing for a worthy cause and that’s why he gave everything at the tables, to outshine Ronaldo and win the prize for his charity. The football player also took the competition seriously and even though he was eventually defeated, he had a great time and has no regrets.

The winner congratulated him for his performance and invited him to play a rematch in a not so distant future, something that Ronaldo accepted wholeheartedly. This is the second time that they need at the poker tables and Nadal won on both occasions, with the last encounter taking place in the last month of 2013 and back then, Rafael prevailed at the European Poker Tour Prague Charity Challenge. There were other players who signed up for that event, including Daniel Negreanu and Fatima Moreira de Melo, but Rafael defeated all of them to win the tournament and a nice paycheck.